I think this is a fascinating example of globalisation and there have been some excellent comments here. I think one thing that should be considered is the creator's original intent when designing the game. By making this change, it could be argued that the original intent is kept intact, not changed.

Was the intent with the design of these costumes to make the player feel uneasy? Are they meant to be appalled at the sexualised image of a 13 year old girl? I'm assuming not.

The majority of us in the West will find this character design either disturbing or scandalous. The change made makes it less of a distraction when playing the game. She is still "young" and "scantily clad" but is less "disturbing" to Western tastes. I think this was an appropriate change to maintain the original intent.

Side note, I've been playing the first game on Virtual Console and I think it is incredible! I can't wait for this one. Reply+4

They are not offering a digital download version of the game and the shipping of the disc is going to cost more than the pledge itself. I think they have to work on a digital version for this to be a success. Reply+3

www.soronline.net is an excellent source for Streets of Rage info (and likely the source for some of this article). One of my favourite franchises of all time. I have the original Japanese Mega Drive versions of the Bare Knuckle trilogy. Gotta love the coloured manuals! Reply+1

Perhaps things are different, but my local Game and Gamestation only appeared to stock either AAA titles or second hand pap. The staff would try their damnedest to get you to take new copies back to the shelf and buy the used copy instead, where applicable.

I had to use Amazon to buy titles like Shadows of the Damned and Bayonetta, as these titles were not stocked.

As for this article, the UK and Ireland are just two territories. These "middle ground" titles sell very well across the rest of Europe and America/Asia too. The closure of Game + Gamestation will change nothing in my opinion.

I'd also make the argument that the more hardcore gamer crowd stopped using these 'specialist' stores long ago and moved onto Play or Amazon, who actually stock more specialised titles, at better prices. Reply+3

I just got a confirmation email that my CD will be shipped. I requested mine after this article was posted, so I think it was just a temporary glitch in the system where you input your address. Reply+1